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Ultrasound Cost by State and Facility Type (2026)

Typical cost

$463–$942

Sticker price is almost never what patients actually pay.

Your actual cost depends on your deductible, coinsurance, and where you are in your plan.

👉 The same Ultrasound could cost you $0 or $942.

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Where You Get an Ultrasound Matters

Hospital outpatient departments typically charge 2–4× more than ASCs or independent centers for the same procedure — same outcome, very different bill.

Hospital Outpatient Department

Hospital Outpatient Department typically carries a higher price for an ultrasound. Facility fee billed separately from professional fee. Provider-based billing adds facility overhead. You can shop here — call ahead and ask for a self-pay or cash quote.

Independent Imaging Center

Independent Imaging Center typically carries the lowest typical price for an ultrasound. Freestanding radiology centers. Technical component billed by center; professional (radiologist read) billed separately. You can shop here — call ahead and ask for a self-pay or cash quote.

Physician Office

Physician Office typically carries the lowest typical price for an ultrasound. Professional fee only. No separate facility fee unless provider-based designation.

Emergency Room Ultrasound

An Ultrasound performed in the emergency department can run 2–5× the cost of the identical scan at an outpatient or independent facility, because a hospital facility fee stacks on top. Use the ER only when the situation is medically urgent — it is not a setting where you can shop on price.

The same ultrasound can be one bill or two — and the radiologist can be out-of-network even when the facility isn't.

Your personalized cost report includes:

  • ✓ Why a facility splits into a technical bill and a separate radiologist bill (and an office bills one global fee)
  • ✓ How the radiologist who reads your images can be out-of-network even at an in-network facility
  • ✓ Why a hospital outpatient department costs far more than an independent imaging center
  • ✓ How a complete vs. limited study changes the price — and the questions to ask first
  • ✓ A real patient billing breakdown, line by line

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Ultrasound Cost by Type

Which type your doctor orders changes the billing code — and what you pay. Here's how the common types differ.

Abdominal Ultrasound

A recognized variation that can change the billing code and what you owe. CPT 76700 complete / 76705 limited.

Pelvic Ultrasound

A recognized variation that can change the billing code and what you owe.

Pregnancy (OB) Ultrasound

A recognized variation that can change the billing code and what you owe. Often performed in-office and billed globally.

Retroperitoneal Ultrasound

A recognized variation that can change the billing code and what you owe. CPT 76770 complete / 76775 limited.

CostKits Data — Ultrasound

$70–$130
National typical range
Median across all 50 states
11×
National price spread
Cheapest vs. most expensive market
5,883
Facilities in our database
86% have observed negotiated rates
High
Shopping potential
Facility type is the biggest cost lever
50
States with cost data
Updated 2026

Facility Choice Is the Biggest Cost Driver

Setting Typical Allowed Amount
Hospital outpatient dept. $100–$150
Independent Imaging Center $50–$100

Same procedure, same clinical outcome — 40–55% lower allowed amount. Ask your physician if the procedure can be performed at an imaging center.

CostKits Market Intelligence — Ultrasound

Confidence: High
Sources Used
  • CMS Medicare fee schedules (MPFS, OPPS, ASC)
  • Hospital price transparency files
  • Commercial rate relativity model
Estimate Composition
Observed negotiated rates
85%
Medicare baseline
10%
Estimated relativity
5%
332 geographic markets analyzed
5,883 facilities in dataset
50 states + 282 metros

What's Actually on an Ultrasound Bill?

A single ultrasound can generate multiple separate bills. Each provider bills independently and they often arrive weeks apart. Here's what to expect at a Hospital Outpatient:

Billing Component Always? Typical Amount Separate Bill? Notes
Technical / Facility Fee Always — Often
Radiologist Fee Always — Usually

Ultrasound Cost-Saving Decision Guide

Three moves that reduce your actual out-of-pocket cost — not just awareness, but specific decisions you can make before scheduling:

Choose the right facility
If: Procedure is non-urgent + a hospital outpatient department is where you're scheduled
Typical savings: $25–$50 — Moving from a hospital outpatient department to independent imaging center is typically the single biggest lever — identical care, lower overhead
Ask for the cash-pay rate
If: Uninsured or paying out-of-pocket + facility has a cash-discount program
Typical savings: 20–30% — Most facilities offer 20–30% off the standard negotiated rate for upfront cash payment — always ask the billing department before scheduling

Forecast your out-of-pocket cost

Quick navigation: · Healthcare Cost Guides · How deductibles affect your cost · Ultrasound costs by state →

Quick Answer: Ultrasound Costs at a Glance

Average ultrasound cost in the U.S.: $463–$942 (self-pay)

Common types: abdominal, pelvic, pregnancy (OB), retroperitoneal, breast, thyroid, vascular — pricing varies by the area scanned and whether the study is "complete" or "limited."

👉 Compare ultrasound prices by state: View all ultrasound costs by state

One Bill or Two? The Technical + Professional Split

This is the part that surprises people. At a hospital or imaging center, an ultrasound is usually billed in two parts:

  • The technical charge — the facility, the equipment, and the sonographer who performs the scan.
  • The professional charge — the radiologist who reads the images and writes the report.

These can arrive on different days from different billers, which is why the first statement rarely shows the full cost. By contrast, when an ultrasound is performed in a physician's office (a pregnancy ultrasound in your OB's office is the classic case), the scan and the read are often billed together as a single global fee — one bill, not two.

What to do: ask whether the study will be billed globally or split, and whether the reading radiologist is in-network — the radiologist is a separate biller and can be out-of-network even when the facility isn't.

Where You Get It Matters Most

The same ultrasound is priced very differently by setting:

  • An independent imaging center is typically the lowest-cost option.
  • A hospital outpatient department carries higher facility overhead and usually costs the most.
  • A physician office often bills a single global fee and can be convenient and cost-effective for the studies it offers (e.g., OB).

For a diagnostic ultrasound applied to your deductible, choosing the lower-cost in-network setting directly reduces what you owe.

Medicare (Lowest)

Medicare allows roughly $143 for a typical ultrasound, with small geographic variation driven by the wage index.

Commercial Insurance (Middle)

Negotiated commercial rates run $266–$628. Your out-of-pocket share depends on your deductible and coinsurance.

Uninsured / Cash Pay (Highest)

Self-pay prices run $463–$942, with independent imaging centers often at the lower end. Ask for the cash/self-pay rate directly — it's frequently below the chargemaster figure.

This Procedure Is Shoppable — Choosing the Right Facility Can Save Thousands

Ultrasound is elective and schedulable. You have time to compare facilities — and hospital outpatient prices often run 2–4× higher than Hospital OP, Imaging Center, Office for identical clinical outcomes.

How to shop: Ask your doctor for the CPT code, then call 2–3 facilities and request an out-of-pocket cost estimate. Confirm your insurance is accepted. If uninsured, ask for the cash-pay rate — it's usually 20–50% below the list price.

Who performs this: Ultrasound is typically performed by a Radiology. The specialist's professional fee is billed separately from the facility charge — you will likely receive separate bills from each.

Explore Ultrasound Costs

How Insurance Affects the Cost of This Procedure

Understanding these insurance concepts can help you estimate what you may actually pay for this procedure.

Ultrasound by Type & Body Part

Costs vary significantly by which ultrasound variant you need. Select a type to see state-by-state pricing and billing details:

Cheapest States for Ultrasound

The 10 lowest-cost states for ultrasound, by typical facility price range. Use these as a benchmark — even within a low-cost state, an independent imaging center usually beats a hospital outpatient department.

  1. 1. Utah $56–$56
  2. 2. Delaware $55–$72
  3. 3. New Hampshire $53–$78
  4. 4. Maryland $60–$92
  5. 5. Maine $51–$102
  6. 6. Tennessee $54–$100
  7. 7. Montana $59–$96
  8. 8. Michigan $57–$104
  9. 9. Indiana $57–$110
  10. 10. Idaho $54–$118

Most Expensive States for Ultrasound

The 10 highest-cost states for ultrasound. If you're in one of these, shopping facilities and asking for the cash-pay rate matters most.

  1. 1. South Dakota $232–$559
  2. 2. Hawaii $68–$350
  3. 3. Nebraska $82–$270
  4. 4. West Virginia $73–$248
  5. 5. Wisconsin $66–$253
  6. 6. Texas $79–$227
  7. 7. Louisiana $88–$215
  8. 8. North Carolina $98–$194
  9. 9. Kentucky $91–$195
  10. 10. North Dakota $67–$210

Ultrasound Cost by State

Common Ultrasound Billing Surprises

The sticker price is rarely the whole story. These are the charges that most often surprise people after a ultrasound — knowing them in advance is how you catch errors and avoid out-of-network bills.

You May Receive Two Bills

Most ultrasound episodes produce a facility charge and a separate professional (radiologist) charge. Even when the facility is in-network, the radiologist can be out-of-network.

The Radiologist Bills Separately

The radiologist bills independently from the facility and may arrive later as its own statement.

Facility Fees

Hospital facility fees are typically far higher than ambulatory or independent settings for the identical service.

Out-of-Network Radiologist

Confirm the radiologist — not just the facility — is in your network before the procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions

See the questions below — answered for the two-bill split, in-office global billing, setting choice, and Medicare coverage.

What will you pay for Ultrasound?

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About the Author

John Caruso, FSA, MAAA

Healthcare actuary with 20+ years of experience in insurance pricing, medical billing systems, and healthcare cost analytics.

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Published June 7, 2026 · Updated June 7, 2026

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